5

Turn not to the right hand nor to the left; but turn your foot away from an evil way. For virtue is a mean; wherefore they say courage is between rashness and cowardice. But now he names "right" not what is naturally right, but what appears to some to be right because of pleasures; "for Boreas," he says, "is a harsh wind; but by name it is called propitious," symbolically calling the evil one Boreas, from which all evils on earth were kindled. 54 4, 27b and he shall make your paths straight; and he shall bring forth your ways in peace. In agreement with these things is "Unless the Lord build a house" and "keep a city" and so forth.

55 5, 3 Do not attend to a base woman; for honey drips from the lips of

a harlot woman, who for a time anoints your throat, 5, 4 but afterward you will find it more bitter than gall and sharper than a two-edged sword. The fat signifies pleasure, from which impurity is born, whose offspring is evil and ignorance, than which nothing more bitter is to be found among created things. 56 5, 5.1-2 For the feet of folly bring down those who use her with death into Hades. What he called a harlot above, he now has named folly. 57 On behalf of those who descend into Hades after death David prays, saying: "Let them go down alive into Hades." 58 5, 6 For she does not tread the ways of life; her paths are treacherous and not easily known. If the paths are not easily known, it is well said that "they do not know how they stumble." 59 5, 8 Make your way far from her; do not go near the doors of her house. Here he called "way" the mind that journeys toward virtue. Or perhaps he commands us to separate virtue from vice. 60 5, 9 lest you give your life to others and your living to the merciless. From this we know that the spirited part prevails in demons; "for spirit is merciless," he says, "and wrath is sharp." 61 5, 11.2 when the flesh of your body is worn away. Through vices the wicked wear away the flesh of Christ and consume his blood, considering it common; "for he who eats my flesh," he says, "and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." 62 5, 14 I was almost in all evil in the midst of the church and synagogue. There was a time when vice was not and there will be a time when it will not be; but there was not a time when virtue was not, nor will there be a time when it will not be; for the seeds of virtue are indelible. This also persuades me, who was almost and not completely in all evil, and the rich man in Hades being judged for his vice and pitying his brothers. To have mercy is the fairest seed of virtue. 63 5, 15 Drink waters from your own vessels and from the source of your own wells. Knowledge is both a well and a spring. For to those who approach virtues it seems to be a deep well, but to the dispassionate and pure, a spring. So also the Savior "was sitting by the spring, it was about the sixth hour." But the Samaritan woman calls it a well; "for Lord," she says, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep." 64 5, 18 Let the spring of your water be your own, and rejoice with the wife of your youth. If the wife here signifies the knowledge of God, and this was given to us from youth, then the knowledge of God was given to us from the beginning, which Solomon above calls the teaching of youth; "for son," he says, "let not evil counsel overtake you"--speaking of the devil as one who had counseled evilly-- ,"she who forsakes the teaching of youth and has forgotten the divine covenant." But forgetfulness and abandonment are secondary to knowledge and possession, just as the final sickness is to health and the second death to life. At the same time it must be known that this same knowledge is called mother and wife and sister. Mother, because he who taught me has begotten me through her, as Paul the Galatians through the gospel. Wife, because being with me she brings forth virtues and right doctrines, if indeed "wisdom brings forth prudence for a man." Sister, because

5

ἐκκλίνῃς εἰς τὰ δεξιὰ μηδὲ εἰς τὰ ἀριστερά· ἀπόστρεψον δὲ σὸν πόδα ἀπὸ ὁδοῦ κακῆς Ἡ ἀρετὴ γὰρ μεσότης· διὸ καὶ τὴν ἀνδρείαν μεταξὺ τῆς θρασύτητος καὶ τῆς δειλίας εἶναί φασιν. Νῦν δὲ ὀνομάζει δεξιὰ οὐ τὰ φύσει δεξιά, ἀλλὰ τὰ φαινόμενά τισι διὰ τὰς ἡδονὰς δεξιά· «βορέας γάρ, φησίν, σκληρὸς ἄνεμος· ὀνόματι δὲ ἐπιδέξιος καλεῖται», βορέαν λέγων συμβολικῶς τὸν πονηρόν, ἀφ' οὗ ἐξεκαύθη πάντα τὰ κακὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. 54 4, 27β αὐτὸς δὲ ὀρθὰς ποιήσει τὰς τροχιάς σου· τὰς δὲ πορείας σου ἐν εἰρήνῃ προάξει Συμφωνεῖ τούτοις τὸ «ἐὰν μὴ κύριος οἰκοδομήσῃ οἶκον» καὶ «φυλάξῃ πόλιν» καὶ ἑξῆς.

55 5, 3 μὴ πρόσεχε φαύλῃ γυναικί· μέλι γὰρ ἀποστάζει ἀπὸ χειλέων

γυναικὸς πόρνης, ἣ πρὸς καιρὸν λιπαίνει σὸν φάρυγγα, 5, 4 ὕστερον μέντοι πικρότερον χολῆς εὑρήσεις καὶ ἠκονημένον μᾶλλον μαχαίρας διστόμου Τὸ λίπος τὴν ἡδονὴν σημαίνει, ἀφ' ἧς τίκτεται ἡ ἀκαθαρσία, ἧς ἔκγονον κακία καὶ ἄγνοια, ὧν οὐδὲν ἔστι πικρότερον ἐν τοῖς γεγονόσιν εὑρεῖν. 56 5, 5.1-2 τῆς γὰρ ἀφροσύνης οἱ πόδες κατάγουσιν τοὺς χρωμένους αὐτῇ μετὰ θανάτου εἰς τὸν ᾅδην Ἣν ἀνωτέρω πόρνην εἶπεν, νῦν ἀφροσύνην ὠνόμασεν. 57 Ὑπὲρ τῶν μετὰ θανάτου καταβαινόντων εἰς τὸν ᾅδην προσεύχεται ὁ ∆αυὶδ λέγων· «καταβήτωσαν εἰς ᾅδου ζῶντες.» 58 5, 6 ὁδοὺς γὰρ ζωῆς οὐκ ἐπέρχεται· σφαλεραὶ δὲ αἱ τροχιαὶ αὐτῆς καὶ οὐκ εὔγνωστοι Εἰ οὐκ εὔγνωστοί εἰσιν αἱ τροχιαί, καλῶς εἴρηται τὸ «οὐκ οἴδασι πῶς προσκόπτουσιν». 59 5, 8 μακρὰν ποίησον ἀπ' αὐτῆς σὴν ὁδόν· μὴ ἐγγίσῃς πρὸς θύραις οἴκων αὐτῆς Ὁδὸν εἶπεν ἐνταῦθα τὸν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν ὁδεύοντα νοῦν. Ἢ τάχα τὴν ἀρετὴν προστάσσει χωρίζειν ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ κακίας. 60 5, 9 ἵνα μὴ πρόῃ ἄλλοις ζωήν σου καὶ σὸν βίον ἀνελεήμοσιν Ἐντεῦθεν γινώσκομεν ὅτι τὸ θυμικὸν μέρος ἐπικρατεῖ ἐν τοῖς δαίμοσιν· «ἀνελεήμων γὰρ θυμός, φησίν, καὶ ὀξεῖα ὀργή.» 61 5, 11.2 ἡνίκα ἂν κατατριβῶσιν σάρκες σώματός σου ∆ιὰ τῶν κακιῶν οἱ πονηροὶ κατατρίβουσι τὰς σάρκας τὰς τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ τὸ αἷμα καταναλίσκουσι κοινὸν αὐτὸ ἡγησάμενοι· «ὁ τρώγων γάρ μου, φησί, τὴν σάρκα καὶ πίνων μου τὸ αἷμα ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον, κἀγὼ ἀναστήσω αὐτὸν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ.» 62 5, 14 παρ' ὀλίγον ἐγενόμην ἐν παντὶ κακῷ ἐν μέσῳ ἐκκλησίας καὶ συναγωγῆς Ἦν ὅτε οὐκ ἦν κακία καὶ ἔσται ὅτε οὐκ ἔσται· οὐκ ἦν δὲ ὅτε οὐκ ἦν ἀρετή, οὐδὲ ἔσται ὅτε οὐκ ἔσται· ἀνεξάλειπτα γὰρ τὰ σπέρματα τῆς ἀρετῆς. Πείθει δέ με καὶ οὗτος παρ' ὀλίγον καὶ οὐ τελείως ἐν παντὶ κακῷ γεγονὼς καὶ ὁ πλούσιος ἐν τῷ ᾅδῃ διὰ κακίαν κρινόμενος καὶ οἰκτείρων τοὺς ἀδελφούς. Τὸ δὲ ἐλεεῖν σπέρμα τυγχάνει τὸ κάλλιστον τῆς ἀρετῆς. 63 5, 15 πῖνε ὕδατα ἀπὸ σῶν ἀγγείων καὶ ἀπὸ σῶν φρεάτων πηγῆς Ἡ γνῶσις καὶ φρέαρ ἐστὶ καὶ πηγή. Τοῖς μὲν γὰρ προσελθοῦσι ταῖς ἀρεταῖς βαθὺ φρέαρ εἶναι δοκεῖ, τοῖς δὲ ἀπαθέσι καὶ καθαροῖς πηγή. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ «ἐκαθέζετο ἐπὶ τῇ πηγῇ, ὥρα ἦν ὡσεὶ ἕκτη». Ἡ δὲ Σαμαρεῖτις φρέαρ αὐτὴν ὀνομάζει· «κύριε γάρ, φησίν, οὔτε ἄντλημα ἔχεις καὶ τὸ φρέαρ ἐστὶ βαθύ.» 64 5, 18 ἡ πηγή σου τοῦ ὕδατος ἔστω σοι ἰδία καὶ συνευφραίνου μετὰ γυναικὸς τῆς ἐκ νεότητός σου Εἰ ἡ γυνὴ ἐνταῦθα τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ γνῶσιν σημαίνει, αὕτη δὲ ἐκ νεότητος ἡμῖν ἐδόθη, ἡ γνῶσις ἄρα τοῦ θεοῦ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς ἡμῖν ἐδόθη, ἥντινα ἀνωτέρω διδασκαλίαν ὁ Σολομὼν νεότητος λέγει· «υἱὲ γάρ, φησί, μή σε καταλάβῃ βουλὴ κακή»-τὸν διάβολον λέγων ὡς κακῶς βουλευσάμενον- , «ἡ ἀπολείπουσα διδασκαλίαν νεότητος καὶ διαθήκην θείαν ἐπιλελησμένη.» Λήθη δὲ καὶ ἀπόλειψις γνώσεως καὶ κτήσεως δεύτεραι, ὥσπερ καὶ ὑγείας νόσος ἐσχάτη καὶ ζωῆς θάνατος δεύτερος. Ἅμα δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ἰστέον ὅτιπερ ἡ αὐτὴ γνῶσις καὶ μήτηρ λέγεται καὶ γυνὴ καὶ ἀδελφή. Μήτηρ μὲν ἐπειδὴ ὁ διδάξας με δι' αὐτῆς με γεγέννηκεν, ὡς Παῦλος διὰ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου Γαλάτας. Γυνὴ δὲ ὅτι συνοῦσά μοι τίκτει τὰς ἀρετὰς καὶ δόγματα ὀρθά, εἴγε «ἡ σοφία ἀνδρὶ τίκτει φρόνησιν». Ἀδελφὴ δὲ ὅτι